The Bald Range wildfire, that has forced 20,000 people out of their homes in the south Okanagan region, burns in Summerland, B.C., late on Aug. 8, 2026. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck
The RCMP said on Aug. 9 that the wildfire in B.C. Okanagan region has claimed the life of an 80-year-old woman as she was trying to escape the fire.
Penticton RCMP said that she had been trying to flee with a family member on Aug. 7 in the Meadow Valley area when she reportedly died suddenly.
“Police believe her death to be a result of the wildfire,” the RCMP said.
Police said the death was reported by a witness who was also evacuating from the area. Police had first said on Aug. 8 that it is working to confirm a reported fatality.
No other deaths due to the wildfire have been reported so far.
‘Out of Control’
The Bald Range wildfire that forced more than 20,000 people to evacuate from Summerland and parts of Peachland in B.C.’s Okanagan region has shown little new growth after reaching Okanagan Lake, but it remains classified as “out of control.”
As of Aug. 9, the Bald Range wildfire reached 136.2 square kilometres in size, and its eastern edge had reached Okanagan Lake a day earlier. Evacuation orders remain in place for designated properties across the District of Peachland, the District of Summerland, the Regional District of Central Okanagan, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, and the Penticton Indian Band jurisdiction.
Authorities in those districts issued evacuation orders on Aug. 8 after the Bald Range wildfire exploded in size, swelling overnight to roughly 95 square kilometres due to aggressive rank 5 and 6 fire behaviour driven by high winds and dry conditions. The wildfire was initially reported at around 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 7 and had grown to 50 square kilometres within just a few hours of its discovery.
By the afternoon of Aug. 8, it had grown to more than 100 square kilometres and a state of emergency was enacted by B.C. Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Kelly Greene.
Video footage shared with media by a resident, Will Roelfsema, shows the destruction in Faulder, a small rural community and railway point about 10 to 12 kilometres west of Summerland. A small wooden shed and a metal garage are the only structures seen standing in the video, which shows several burned-out vehicles and the remains of homes as well as trees stripped of their branches.
In its latest update, the B.C. Wildfire Service said it is expecting a high potential for lightning-caused wildfire starts, particularly in the central Interior and the Okanagan, due to limited precipitation and dry lightning. Dry lightning refers to lightning coming from a thunderstorm that produces little, if any, rain.
High temperatures and strong winds in the Okanagan and southeastern regions of British Columbia could also increase the fire risk, the update said.
“Of particular concern are smaller fires located in steep terrain where wind and slope alignment can rapidly accelerate fire growth. Fires that appear manageable can transition quickly to higher intensity behaviour under these conditions,” it said.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Emergency Operations Centre is also providing live updates through its YouTube page. The centre said it remains in the response phase and that re-entry into the affected communities would only go ahead once given the green light by the B.C. Wildfire Service. The centre said it hopes to have a meeting with members of the community within the next day or two to update them on progress toward re-entry.
While an assessment on property damage from the Bald Range wildfire is pending, Premier David Eby said the damage was “significant.”
“We know there have been significant losses of homes and property. We also know that some people became trapped as conditions changed quickly,” he said in a statement issued on Aug. 8.
“Our immediate priority is protecting lives and supporting rescue efforts. Air evacuations are underway for people who remain isolated behind the fire perimeter.”
Eby said the provincial government was working with local authorities to provide accommodation for people displaced by the wildfire. “We believe we have sufficient resources at this time,” the premier said.
Bradley Creek, another significant wildfire that grew to 26.34 square kilometres and displaced many residences in the area around Vernon, about 100 kilometres north of Summerland, is now classified as “being held.”
A wildfire that is “being held” is one that is projected, based on fuel and weather conditions and resource availability, to remain within the current perimeter, control line or boundary.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
